Cylinder and dial construction for knitting machines



-v. J. LOMQARDI' 3, ,2 3

Dec. 8, 1970 CYLINDER AND DIAL CONSTRUCTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 19, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG?" lb FWD" 2.

FIG-2 b Dec; 8; 1910 v. .L LOMBARDI CYLINDER AND DIAL CONSTRUCTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 19, 1967 s Sheets-Sheet FIG "3b 8, 1970 V V.J. LOMBARDI 3,545,233

CYLINDER AND DiAL CONSTRUCTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed June 19, 1967 Gym HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHW 1970 v. J. LOMBARDI 35 53 CYLINDER AND DIAL CONSTRUCTIQN FORKNITTING TMAV'CHAI'NESQ v F'iied June 19, 1967 J 3 i ELEcF 6C- 1 -v. J. LOMBARDI. w 3,545,233

7 CYLINDER AND DIAL CONSTRUCTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Junele, 1967 e Sheets-Sheet s Dec. 8, 1970 3,545,233

CYLINDER AND DIAL CONSTRUCTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES v. J. LOMBARDI Filed June 19, 1967 S'Sheets-Sheet 6 U.S. Cl. 66-8 United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Grooves and passageways are formed in cylinder and dial constructions associated with circular knitting machines, and the grooves and passageways are arranged to (a) facilitate the heat-treatment of such constructions during their manufacture, (b) to improve heat transfer away from portions of the machine at which frictional heat is produced by high speed operation of sinkers, needles, or other knitting instrumentalities, and ,(c) to facilitate the cleaning and maintenance of knitting machines during opertion. Also, a provision is made for an improved bearing surface and the ledge of a cylinder, and the bearing surface is adjustable, removable, and more easily heat treated than known prior constructions. Further, a provision is made to include lubricant reservoirs in a surface portion of a cylinder construction for the purpose of supplying lubricant to needles associated with the cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to circular knitting machines and to improvements in cylinder and dial constructions associated with such machines. Circular knitting machines are well known in the art and include machines having various diameters of cylinder constructions, cylinders which include horizontally disposed sinkers at their tops, other well known cylinder and dial combinations such as used in rib knitting machines, and constructions of links and links of superimposed cylinder design.

The cylinder and dial portions of a knitting machine are very important parts of the entire machine, and the preciseness with which these components can be manufactured determines the real limitations for a given machine in terms of fabric quality and speed of production. The present invention provides for novel constructions which permit a more precise manufacture of cylinder and dial members, and which provide for improved maintenance and longer wear of a knitting machine after it is once in operation. By improving the constructions of cylinders and dials, it is possible to heat-treat these members more effectively to produce more accurately manufactured machines, in a manner not heretofore possible; also, frictional heat problems are substantially reduced or eliminated once the machine is manufactured and put in use. Also, the constructions of this invention provide for easier cleaning and better maintenance of knitting machines, and a provision is made for adjusting or for removing and replacing a heat-treated wear surface for sinkers or other knitting instrumentalities "ice which are associated with a cyinder or a dial construction.

It has long been known that cylinder and dial constructions as well as those of sinker-top and links and links constructions must be manufactured to close tolerances in order to assure precise movements of needles, sinkers, and other knitting instrumentalities to produce a first quality knitted fabric. During the manufacture of cylinders and dials, extremely close tolerances are maintained during machining operations; however, these tolerances are often not maintained during the subsequent process of heat-treatment which follows the machining operations. Usually cylinders and dials are made from steel forgings in which internal stresses and strain are normally present. Following the machining operations, the

steel members are heat-treated to assure adequate hard ness. Frequently, because of uneven heating and/ or cooling during heat-treatment, these stresses and strains are not completely or uniformly relieved, resulting in distortions which create an out-of-round and/or dished condition in the cyinder and/or dial members. When the distortions are pronounced, the cylinder and dial members are non-operable and usually discarded, and replacements must be manufactured with resultant higher costs and manufacturing delays. When the distortions are less pronounced, an attempt is made to straighten out or otherwise correct the distorted members by techniques which require a great deal of painstaking manual effort and much experience and touch on the part of a skilled mechanic. Even then, the attempt to remove distortions is quite often unsatisfactory, and the knitting machine is adversely affected in its ability to produce high quality fabric at high speed.

Other problems arise with respect to circular knitting machines after they are once manufactured and put into operation. Many of these involve problems associated with continuous operations of the. machines at high speeds, because such operations require (a) efficient and uniform dissipation of frictional heat away from those sections of the cylinder and/or dial members at which knitting instruments are opefrable, (b) easy removal of lint or other accumulations from between sinkers and needles while the machine is stationary or in operation, and (0) easy adjustment or replacement of hardened bearing surfaces upon which sinkers move back and forth during normal knitting operations. Prior to this invention these requirements have not been satisfactorily met by known circular knitting machines. Consequently, much lost time has resulted and additional expense incurred in knitting operations because of limitations in being able to maintain circular knitting machines in trouble-free condition for high speed operation.

Generally, it is known to provide some form of openings in cylinder or dial members of rib knit-ting machines for the purpose of improving the ease with which the needles and needle slots can be kept clean and free of foreign material. Typical of known prior art which relates to rib machine constructions is Koppel Pat. 2,399,439. However, such prior art arrangements provide for removing foreign matter within the needle slots themselves of from the needle themselves by a scraping action and are inadequate for providing complete and effective cleaning of lint and other foreign materials which accumulate between adjacent knitting instruments such as sinkers, needles, and the like. This is especially true in the case of knitting machines of sinker-top construction in which sinker-supporting top rings are formed integrally or in combination with the upper ends of the cylinders. In these constructions it has been very difficult, and sometimes virtually impossible, to adequately remove and clean lint and other foreign matter from the exposed areas between adjacent sinkers while the knitting machine is idle or in operation. In these cases, the use of air guns or other pneumatic means operative at erratic or timed intervals frequently aggravated the problem of cleaning since the lint or other foreign material under air pressure was forced more deely and more compactly between knitting instrurnentalities, thus resulting in a build-up of oil-hardened lint or other foreign matter between these instruments inhibiting their free movement in the knitting process. It has been found that the novel arrangements of passageways and grooves in cylinder and dial constructions of the present invention greatly facilitate the ease with which these members can be cleaned and maintained clean during machine operation, thereby making possible the production of first quality knitted fabric. In addition, the arrangements of this invention make possible more uniform heating and cooling of cylinder and dial members during the process of heat-treatment, resulting in more adequate relieving of stresses and strains and minimizing or eliminating any ensuing distortions. Consequently, the practice of this invention is highly advantageous in the manufacture of and ultimate use of circular knitting machines since it makes possible dial and cylinder constructions in which close tolerances can be rigidly maintained. Furthermore, the novel arrangements of passageways and grooves provide for improved dissipation of heat created by the sliding movement of knitting instruments in their respective slots under the action of appropriate camrning means.

Finally, the invention provides for a bearing plate or bearing member which can be integral with or mounted at an upper end of a cylinder to carry sinkers in horizontally disposed positions about the annular end of the cylinder. The improved bearing end or top ring for the cylinder can be more easily hardened by heat-treatment, chrome plating and the like than prior cylinder constructions and can be, if required, processed to a hardness different from the cylinder itself. In addition, the bearing member can be adjusted to facilitate machine manufacture, can be removed for grinding if necessary to provide a new bearing surface when a serious amount of wear has taken place by the action of sinkers over the surface, or can otherwise be re-positionel as operating conditions dictate. The feature of adjustability is also advantageous in facilitating the correction of machining errors made during manufacture and minimizes the need for maintaining close machining tolerances.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the more detailed discussion which follows, and in that discussion reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in cross section of a cylinder construction of the type known as a sinker top or open top cylinder having a sinker dial assembly including therewith;

FIG. 1a! is a top plan view of FIG. 1 with certain sinkers and needles omit-ted for clarity;

FIG. 1b is an elevational view of FIG. 1 taken from an interior portion of the cylinder at lines 1b1b and looking toward a vertical side wall of the cylinder;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in cross section of a modified cylinder having an annular groove and passageways incorporated therein;

FIG. 2a is a top plan vie-w of FIG .2;

FIG. 2b is a view of FIG. 2 taken at lines 2b2b of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the FIG. 2 construction for a cylinder;

FIG. 3a is a top plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3b is an elevational view taken at lines 3b-3b of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a further embodiment of a cylinder construction in accordance with this invention as seen in elevational cross sectional view;

FIG. 4a is a top plan view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 4b is an elevational view taken at lines 4b4b of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a further embodiment of a cylinder construction in accordance with this invention wherein an adjustable bearing plate means is included in a top surface portion of the cylinder, the illustration being taken in elevational cross sectional view;

FIG. 5a is a top plan view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5b is an elevational view taken at lines 5b-5b of FIG. 5;

FIG. '6 is a further embodiment of a cylinder construction incorporating an adjustable bearing plate means as shown in vertical cross sectional view;

FIG. 6b is an elevational view of FIG. 6 taken along lines 6b-6b of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a further embodiment of a cylinder construction incorporating an adjustable bearing plate member, shown in cross sectional elevational view;

FIG. 7a is an elevational view of an outside portion of the cylinder taken at lines 7a7a of FIG. 7 and showing additional features of the construction;

FIG. 7b is a top plan view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7c is an elevational view taken from the inside of the cylinder on lines 7c7c of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a further embodiment of a cylinder construction in accordance with this invention, shown in elevational cross sectional view;

FIG. 8a is a top plan view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 8b is an elevational view taken at lines 8b-8b of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is an elevational cross sectional view of a sinker cylinder construction showing a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an elevational cross sectional view of a rib knitting machine dial and cylinder assembly showing features of the present invention;

FIG. 10a is a top plan view of the dial of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is an elevational cross sectional view of a dial and cylinder assembly showing additional features of the construction; and

FIG. 11a is a top plan view of the dial of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THE INVENTION In the following discussion of the invention, it will be understood that cylinder and dial constructions are discussed with reference to known arrangements and relationships of cylinders and dials in circular knitting machines. In the drawings, the cylinder and dial constructions are shown as portions only of what would comprise an entire cylinder or dial assembly, and the remaining assemblies associated with typical circular knltting matchines have been omitted for clarity. However, the drawings and the following discussion are intended to be related to known circular knitting machine constructions and operations.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 through 4 and all figures related thereto, illustrate cylinder constructions in which an annular supporting ring means for supporting sinkers is formed integrally with, or as an extension of, the cylinder wall itself. This type of cylinder construction is incorporated in circular knitting machines which are generally referred to in the art as sinker-top or open-top machines. In FIG. 1, a main body section of a cylinder 20 is shown in cross section with the inner surface of the cylinder being to the left of the drawing while the outer surface of the cylinder is to the right of the FIG. 1 view. Formed at the top end of the cylinder 20 1s a supporting ring means 22 for supporting sinkers positions radially around the entire annular surface presented by the supporting ring means 22. The cylinder includes an upwardly extending flange 26 which is radially slotted (see slots 27 in FIG. 1b) to receive the plurality of sinkers 24. The cylinder 20 also includes means for guiding vertically disposed needles 28 about the outside surface of the cylinder 20, and such means may include grooves formed into the cylinder wall, or alternatively, insert members 30 may be welded, soldered, or otherwise afiixed to the outside cylinder wall to receive needles 28 about the entire cylinder. Further, a sinker dial 32 is affixed to an upper end of the cylinder 20, as by means of set screws 34. Of course, the sinker dial 32 is slotted across its upper surface to receive the same sinkers 24 that are received in the slots 27 of the cylinder, and the slots in the sinker dial are appropriately positioned with respect to the slots of the cylinder in a well known manner. A typical construction of this type is illustrated in Grothey Pat. 2,163,461, and the disclosure of that patent is incorporated herein by reference to further describe the well known features of this art which are not a separate part of the present invention.

As already discussed for FIG. 1, a supporting ring means 22 is integrally formed on an end portion of the cylinder 20 to support the horizontal movements of sinkers 24 on the upper end of the cylinder. The uppermost surface of the supporting ring means is heat-treated and hardened to reduce wear from the frictional contact of operating sinkers 24 on the horizontal surface upon which they are riding. However, even with a hardened surface for the supporting ring means, it is well known that over a period of time in the operation of the machine, grooves are formed in the surface from frictional contact of the sinkers with the hardened surface. The substantially downward pull of the knitted fabric, as it is being produced, against the inner edges of sinkers 24 further aggravates and accelerates this wear condition. Therefore, an important feature of the present invention is to sufliciently dissipate frictional heat away from the hardened surface so as to substantially reduce the rate of wear thereon, and other embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to a provision for an adjustable or replaceable bearing surface for the supporting ring means.

As shown in FIG. 1, a groove 36 is formed into the upper horizontal bearing surface on the supporting ring means 22, and the groove extends about the entire annular end of the supporting ring means of the cylinder. The groove 36 functions to increase the surface area of the upper end of the cylinder so as to better dissipate heat during normal use of the cylinder when sinkers are riding on the bearing end of the cylinder, and also to make possible more uniform heating and cooling during the process of heat-treatment. Further, the groove 36 functions to reduce the amount of surface actually in contact with the sinkers so that there is less frictional heat generated in the first instance. In addition to the groove 36, passageways 38 are formed through the supporting ring means 22 so as to communicate between the upper bearing surfare of the ring, and an inner vertical wall surface of the cylinder 20. In the FIG. 1 embodiment, the passageways 38 communicate with a second continuous groove 40 which is formed through at least a portion of the cylinder wall so as to complete the communication of the passageways with the upper groove 36 and with the inner wall surface of the cylinder 20. As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the passageways may be in the form of elongated slots 38, or alternatively, they can be circular openings which are bored or otherwise formed through the supporting ring means 22. The annular grooves 36 and the second annular groove 40 are preferably continuous grooves formed about the entire cylinder assembly, and both grooves by exposing greater surface areas function to facilitate heat-treatment during the initial manufacture of the assembly and also to dissipate heat during the subsequent use of the assembly.

It is preferred that the passageways 38 be formed as shown in FIG. 1a so as to provide concentric rows of elongated slots about the annular end of the cylinder. Further, the elongated slots are placed to overlap one another in adjoining rows so that each sinker element 24 passes over at least one passageway 38. It is to be especially noted however that the botom portions of the sinker elements do not ride directly on the surface in which passageways 38 are formed. The reason for this arrangement is to provide an improved construction for reducing frictional contact between the sinkers and the bearing surface, and for dissipating heat which is generated from the frictional contact of the sinker elements with the supporting ring. In addition, passageways 38 provide for more uniform heating and cooling during heat-treatment, thus facilitating the relieving of internal stresses and strains in the cylinder member and minimizing any tendency to distort. Also, the arrangement shown permits a more rapid and efficient cleaning of the sinker top machine, while the machine is stationary or in operation. Because of the novel arrangement of passageways 38 which communicate between the supporting surface for sinker elements and an inner wall surface of the cylinder 20, there is provided a construction wherein the sinker elements and the topsurface of the supporting ring means can be at all times maintained free of lint and other accumulations. Pneumatic cleaning devices of well known constructions may be utilized to force air downwardly between the sinker elements, through the passageways .3 8, and from there inwardly through the groove 40, thus carrying all lint and other particle accumulations away from the knitting elements. Of course, it is to be understood that air may be forced through the passageways either by blowing an air-stream therethrough or by drawing air through with a vacuum creating means. By providing for a communication between an upper horizontal surface of a supporting ring and a vertical inner wall surface of i a cylinder formed integrallywith the supporting ring, it is possible to more efliciently clean the machine while it is idle or in operation, and it can be seen that provision is thereby made for removing all lint particles away from the upper operating surfaces of the machine and into an inner area of the cylinder of the machine which is below the operating level of the sinkers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified form of construction wherein the upper supporting ring surface is merely an extension of the cylinder body 20. As with the embodiment of FIG. 1, there is formed an annular groove 36 into the upper bearing surface so as to increase its surface area and to provide a beginning of passageways which will facilitate cleaning of the surface. The passageways for the FIG. [embodiment are provided by a plurality of equally spaced borings '42 which are horizontally disposed about the upper end of the cylinder 20, and these horizontal borings 42 provide for a communication between the upper bearing surface of the supporting n'ng means 22 and both of the vertical walls of the cylinder 20. Thus, with the FIG. 2 arrangement, it is possible to clean the upper surface of the machine by forcing or drawing air downwardly into the groove 36, and from there the air may pass horizontally outward-Ly or inwardly through the openings 42. The FIG. 2 embodiment also illustrates av cylindrical shielding member 44 which may be attached to the inner vertical wall of the cylinder 20 so as to be spaced away from the outlets of the horizontal openings 42. The shielding element 44 may be made of any suitable material, and may be attached to the cylinder wall in any well known manner, such as by the illustrated bolts. By spacing the shielding member 44 away fromthe outlet openings of the borings 42, it is possible to flush lint and other accumulations away from the upper bearing surface of the supporting ring means 22,

and at the same'time, fabric which is being knitted by the machine and which is falling downwardly past the shielding member 44 is prevented from being soiled by the removed lint and other accumulations. In addition, vertically disposed needles which are normally positioned about the outside wall of the cylinder can be cleaned by forcing air straight through the borings 42, from the outside of the cylinder. Thus, it is possible to periodically clean the machine by pneumatic means while it is running and without first removing previously knitted fabric from the region of the openings 42 through which lint and other accumulations are being flushed.

FIG. 3 is a variation from the FIG. 2 embodiment and illustrates a further manner in which passageways can be formed to communicate with an upper bearing surface of a cylinder and an inner vertical wall of the same cylinder. In the FIG. 3 embodiment, an annular groove 36 is formed into the upper bearing surface of the supporting ring means 22, which is an integral part of the entire cylinder body. A second continuous groove 40 is formed into a vertical inner wall of the cylinder, as was discussed for the FIG. 1 embodiment, and finally, a plurality of equally spaced holes 38 are drilled to complete a communication between the two annular grooves. The annular grooves also provide for increased surface areas and improved heat dissipation, and the plurality of openings 38 provide for the passageways which must communicate between the upper bearing surface of the cylinder and an inner wall surface of the same cylinder.

FIG. 4 illustrates a still further variation in the FIG. 9

2 construction wherein the second annular groove 40 is formed in a slightly different configuration from that described in the other embodiments. The groove 40 is formed in such a way that passageways 38 can be drilled or formed at an angle to an upper groove 36. In this manner, the formation of the assembly is facilitated by providing an easy arrangement for drilling equally spaced holes as the passageways 38, and further, the angled passageways more quickly carrying away lint and other accumulations when pneumatic devices are used to flush air downwardly through the cylinder.

FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate sinker top circular knitting machines incorporating further features of the present invention. Each of these figures, and the figures relating thereto, show a provision for an adjustable or replaceable bearing member which is mounted at an upper end of a cylinder body to form a bearing surface for the supporting ring means associated with the cylinder body. Referring to FIG. 5, the cylinder body includes an upper end extension 22 which may be considered the equivalent of a supporting ring means in the sense of previous discussions for supporting rings associated with cylinder assemblies. However, the FIG. 5 embodiment differs from previously described assemblies by a provision for a replaceable and adjustable bearing member 46 which is mounted at an upper end of the cylinder 20 so as to present a bearing surface 48 in alignment with or preferably slightly above the bearing surface 50 of the cylinder end. The bearing member 46 may be in the form of a metal ring element which has been previously heat-treated to provide the necessary hardness for a bearing surface for sinkers. Significantly, this separate ring element can be heat-treated to hardness different from that of the cylinder body when operating conditions dictate. The ring element can be held in place at the upper end of the cylinder 20 by set screws 52, or by any other equivalent means. By providing a replaceable bearing member in a very precise setting to insure the proper relsurface 48 of the supporting ring means whenever extreme wear requires such replacement. An additional feaure of the FIG. 5 arrangement resides in a provision for adjusting the bearing member 46, such as by vertical adjustment means which includes a screw and lock nut means 54. Of course, it is understood that a plurality of such screw and lock nut means 54 are provided about the entire circumference of the bearing member to permit the requisite vertical adjustment of it throughout its entire extent. Since the bearing member 46 is vertically adjustable, it is possible to initially place the bearing member in a very precise setting to insure the proper relative positioning of horizontal surface 48 with surfaces 50 and 33. Precision in this regard insures that the sinkers 24 in their in and out movements will not be subjected to a rocking action which accelerates wear and contributes to the knitting of off-quality fabric. It is also an advantage to be able to adjust the bearing member 46 after a certain amount of wear has taken place by frictional contact of the sinkers with the bearing surface 48. By removing the entire bearing member, it is possible to grind down the surface 48 thereof and to replace the bearing member into the circular knitting machine with a new and completely smooth bearing surface. Alternatively, the bearing member can be merely rotated slightly from its original position in a circular knitting machine so as to present smooth and unworn surfaces benearth the individual sinkers riding at the upper end of the cylinder. It should also be noted that the bearing member 46 is formed and mounted to leave a gap or annular groove 36 about the entire upper end of the supporting ring means of the cylinder 20. This annular groove 36 functions to assist in heat dissipation from the machine while it is in operation, and also, the groove permits a communication with one of the vertical Walls of the cylinder for flushing out lint away from the sinkers 24. Horizontal openings 56 may be drilled through a vertical wall portion of the upper end of the cylinder, and this permits a completed communication between the upper bearing surface for the cylinder and an outer vertical wall surface thereof. As described for previous embodiments, pneumatic cleaning devices may be used to flush lint and other particle accumulations downwardly into the groove 36 and then outwardly through the openings 56.

FIG. 6 illustrates another form of replaceable and adjustable bearing member 46 for use in a construction having angular passageways 38 formed through an upper end of a cylinder body 20. The bearing member 46 of FIG. 6 is a continuous ring element, as discussed for FIG. 5, and may be attached in any suitable manner to provide for replacement and adjustment, as necessary. As in the previous embodiments, the FIG. 6 construction provides for an upper surface annular groove 36' which communicates with passageway 38 to provide for a cleaning of the knitting machine. Additional passageways 56 may be added for additional cleaning purposes.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further variation of a bearing member 46, but in this embodiment the bearing member 46 is made up of a plurality of separate elements 47 (see 'FIG. 7b) which are separately attached to an upper end 22 of a cylinder 20. The separate elements may be formed as shown in FIG. 7b, and they may be separately mounted with bolts 60 as shown in FIG. 7c. Also, a screw and lock nut means 62 may be used for providing a vertical adjustment of the separate bearing elements 46, although quite understandably the separate bearing elements could be fixedly mounted on a common ring incorporating lock nut means for vertical adjustment of the assembly. The separate bearing elements which make up the bearing member 46 may be individually heattreated with greater control, ground, and adjusted to eliminate grooving and excessive wear from continued movement of sinkers over the individual elements. Also, as shown in FIG. 7b, a gap or space 64 is preferably left between the mounted positions of the elements, and this space 64 permits slight axial and lateral adjustment of individual elements about the cirumference of the cylinder end so as to offset any previously formed grooves from the positions of sinkers riding onthe particular element being adjusted. As with previous embodiments, the bearing member 46 is constructed to provide an annular groove 36 in the upper surface of the cylinder end when the bearing elements making up the member are mounted in their final positions. FIG. 7a illustrates elongated slots or passageways 66 which are formed through an upper end of the cylinder to provide a communication between the upper bearing surface of the cylinder and an outside vertical wall surface of the cylinder. It has been found too that elongated slots 66 of the type illustrated in FIG. 7a not only provide for substantially improved uniform heating and cooling during heat-treatment of the cylinder member to relieve internal stresses and strains and minimize distortions but also facilitate heat dissipation during the normal operation of sinkers over the cylinder end.

FIG. 8 illustrates a still further embodiment of a replaceable bearing member 46, and in this embodiment the replaceable bearing member 46 is bolted onto a horizontally plane surface provided at an upper end of the cylinder body 20. Bearing member 46 at its outside diameter defines one complete vertical wall groove 36, so that no machining is required to form an annular groove in the cylinder end.

FIG. 9 illustrates an additional example of grooves and passageways which may be formed in a cylinder construction for a sinker top knitting machine. The construction in FIG. 9 also includes a replaceable and adjustable bearing member 46. The upper surface annular groove 36 and the passageways 38 communicating therewith are similar to those discussed for previous embodiments. Cooperating with bearing member 46 and support ring means 22 are spacers 55 regularly located to define additional passageways through which lint and other accumulations can escape. Spacers 55 perform the added function of insuring proper location of bearing surface 57 with respect to the sinker dial 32. Integrally associated with bearing member 46 are sinker-guiding fins 59 which insure true radial movements of the sinkers and eliminate any tendency for lateral displacements of the sinkers during the knitting process. In addition, bearing member 46 incorporates a hardened bearing surface 57 located at a height above ledges 61 formed by adjacent sinker-guiding fins as shown in FIG. 9. This feature facilitates heat-treatment of bearing member 46, reduces the area of contact between the sinkers and the bearing member, minimizes the possibility of lint or other accumulations from packing below the sinkers in the grooves formedby adjacent guiding fins 59, and permits the use of pneumatic means to keep the fin slots below the sinkers clean of foreign matter. It is also a feature of the FIG. 9 embodiment that a substantial air space is left below the sinkers 24 so as to reduce frictional contact and to facilitate a removal of lint from beneath the sinkers. As shown in FIG. 9, a substantial length of lower edge portion of the sinker 24 is unsupported and out of contact with any surface structures at the upper end of the cylinder.

It is a further feature of the FIG. 9 embodiment that guiding fins 59' are carried by the removable bearing member 46. This not only permits the removal and replacement of guiding fin elements along with a removal and replacement of the bearing member 46, but also, an additional advantage resides in the particular place ment of the guiding fins 59 as related to the sinkers 24. As can be seen in the FIG. 9 view, the guiding fins 59 are positioned substantially inwardly from the normal positions of guiding fins as known in the prior art. By,

placing the fins inwardly, as shown, there is less lateral rocking of sinker elements relative to any points of contact they may have with the guiding fins themselves. Thus, there is provided a more reliable and precise movement of the sinkers.

In addition, annular grooves 67 may be formed in an inner side wall portion of the cylinder and annular grooves 69 in an outer side wall portion of the cylinder, thus exposing more surface and providing for more unito facilitate the more uniform relieving of internal with the outer surface of the cylinder, and the angled portions 70 provide for a novel means of lubricating needles 28 associated with the knitting machine. As shown in FIG. 9, each needle passes over one or more of the grooves 69, and the angled portions 70 of the grooves 69 function as small reservoirs which retain a sufiicient amount of lubricating oil against the surfaces of the needles moving past the grooves to provide a continued and adequate lubrication of the needles during operation. Further passageways 72 may be formed vertically through the cylinder to communicate with all of the passageways 69. This additional communication provides for an easy cleaning of all of the passageways 69 and the needles associated therewith. Also heat dissipation is improved, and heating and cooling during manufacture are facilitated.

FIGS. 10 and 10a illustrate the use of lubricating reservoirs in combination with dial and cylinder constructions normally found in rib knitting machines. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a plurality of passageways 68 are formed through the cylinder 20, and each passageway includes a reservoir portion 70, as discussed for FIG. 9. Likewise, the dial assembly 74 includes vertically formed passageways 76, and each passageway 76 includes a reservoir portion 78 at its upper end for lubricating horizontally disposed needles 80 associated therewith. Also, the separate passageways 68 for the cylinder and the passageways 76 for the dial provide for an easy cleaning of the rib knitting machine. FIG. 10a shows one form of elongated slot or passageway 82 which functions to provide more uniform heating and cooling of the dial during heat-treatment and thereby minimizing distortion and facilitates more efiicient dissipation of heat during machine operation. The elongated passageways 82 are preferably formed in concentric rings with passageways in successive rings being offset from one another so that individual needles will pass over at least one of the passageways.

FIGS. 11 and 11a illustrate an additional embodiment of the invention on a circular knitting machine of dial and cylinder construction. Dial assembly 74 comprises dial supporting ring '83, inner dial 84 fixedly mounted to ring 83, and outer dial 85 adjustably mounted on outer dial 84. Spacers 86, equally spaced around the machine define the opening 87 through which lint or other accumulations can be flushed by pneumatic means 88 mounted in dial cam ring 89. Relative motion between dial cam ring 89 and dial assembly 74 insures uniform and complete passage of air throughout opening '87. Consequently any foreign matter between dial needles 80 will be flushed into guard pan 90 before it has an opportunity to collect and compact into hard-to-remove accumulations. Similarly, pneumatic means 92 mounted outwardly on dial cam ring 89 maintain the openings between jack elements 94 clean by flushing accumulations through passageways 76- into guard pan 90. In addition to providing means for preventing the accumulation of foreign matter, the provision of a separate outer dial 85 makes possible heat-treatment cf this member to a different degree of hardness from the inner dial 84. Also, the separate outer dial 85 is more easily removed and replaced, with. less down time for the entire machine than has been possible with prior art constructions. Furthermore annular groove 91 and equally spaced passageways 91 make possible more uniform heating and cooling of this member during heat treatment,

consequently relieving internal stresses and strains more uniformly and minimizing any tendency to dishing or distortion. Finally, the grooves and passageways facilitate the dissipation of heat developed during the actuation of the needles and dial jack elements by cam means 93. Cylinder 20 incorporates the same essential features of construction as those in the dial and therefore provides the same advantages as previously described. Annular grooves 67 and 69 serve the same functions as in previous embodiments. Removable and adjustable cylinder end member 96 also permits an easier and quicker replacement or repair of the cylinder end, as was discussed for the removable dial member 85.

Having described several embodiments of the present invention, it can be seen that there has been provided a novel arrangement of grooves and passageways in certain circular knitting machine constructions for facilitating the manufacture of the machines, especially during the highly critical operations of heat-treatment. Further, provision has been made for more efiiciently dissipating heat from such machines during operation and for facilitating the maintenance and cleaning of the machines during operation. By providing passageways or openings, of the type described, in regular spaced positions about a circular knitting machine cylinder or dial, more surface area is exposed, and greater opportunity is afforded for relieving internal stresses and strains within cylinder and dial members when they are being heat-treated in manufacture. The regular spacing of passageways between upper bearing surfaces and inner or outer vertical wall surfaces provides for a substantially improved way of cleaning sinker top machines while operation is continued. Although the invention has been discussed with reference to specific embodiments, variations will become apparent to those skilled in this art. All such variations as may be considered equivalent to, or obvious in vew of, the embodiments discussed are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly supporting a circle of needles and which includes an annular supporting ring means which supports horizontaly disposed sinkers or other knitting elements at the top of a cylinder, the improvement in the cylinder assembly which comprises:

a plurality ofi elongated passageways formed through the annular supporting ring means of the cylinder assembly and arranged in spaced positions from each other in at least two concentric rows around the entire supporting ring means, said concentric rows positioned radially inwardly of the needle circle from the needles, said passageways in adjacent rows overlapping one another so that said knitting elements pass over at least one such passageway with each of said passageways communicating between an upper horizontal surface of said supporting ring means and a lower surface of said cylinder assembly, said upper horizontal surface with which said paspassageways are communicating being below the level of operation of said knitting elements, whereby lint and other particles can be removed from the upper surface of the supporting ring means by forcing air between said sinkers or other knitting elements and through said passageways so as to carry the lint or other particles through the cylinder assembly and away from the sinkers or other elements horizontally disposed thereon.

2. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly of the type which includes an annular supporting ring means which supports horizontally disposed sinkers or other knitting elements at the top of a cylinder, the improvement in the cylinder assembly which comprises:

a plurality of passageways formed through the annular supporting ring means of the cylinder assembly and in spaced positions from each other around the entire supporting ring means, with each of said passageways communicating between an upper horizontal surface of said supporting ring means and a lower surface of said cylinder assembly, whereby lint and other particles can be removed from the upper surface of the supporting ring means by forcing air between said sinkers or other knitting elements and through said passageways so as to carry the lint or other particles through the cylinder assembly and away from the sinkers or other elements horizontally disposed thereon, and

an annular groove formed into the upper surface of said supporting ring means for increasing the upper surface area of the supporting ring means so as to (a) dissipate frictional heat therefrom during normal operation of the sinkers on the cylinder or to (b) facilitate uniform heating and cooling of the supporting ring means during its manufacture.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein said annular groove is formed in said upper surface so as to communicate with said plurality of passageways, whereby the annular groove cooperates with the passageways to permit an easy removal of foreign matter from the knitting machine.

4. The improvement of claim 3 and further including at least one annular groove formed in a vertical surface of said cylinder.

5. The improvement of claim 4 wherein said annular groove which is formed in the vertical surface of the cylinder is in communication with said plurality of pas sageways.

6. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly of the type which includes a horizontal upper surface on the cylinder for supporting sinkers or other knitting elements, the improvement comprising:

a bearing member attached in a spaced position from an upper end of the cylinder for forming at least a portion of the horizontal upper surface upon which the sinkers or other knitting elements operate, said bearing member being spaced from the upper end of the cylinder by spacer elements which are arranged around the end of said cylinder in spaced positions from one another so as to define horizontally disposed passageways through which lint can be removed from the upper surface of the cylinder assembly, and said bearing member being adjustable and removable relative to said cylinder, whereby the bearing member can be adjusted or removed and replaced when necessary.

7. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly ofi the type which includes a horizontal upper surface on the cylinder for supporting sinkers or other knitting elements, the improvement comprising:

a bearing member attached to an upper end of the cylinder for forming at least a portion of the horizontal upper surface upon which the sinkers or other knitting elements operate, said bearing member being removable from said cylinder, whereby the bearing member can be removed and replaced when necessary, and wherein said bearing member is made up of a plurality of bearing elements attached to an end of said cylinder assembly to form a continuous annular bearing surface about the upper end of the cylinder.

8. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly of the type which includes a horizontal upper surface on the cylinder for supporting sinkers or other knitting elements, the improvement comprising:

a bearing member attached to an upper end of the cylinder for forming at least a portion of the horizontal upper surface upon which the sinkers or other knitting elements operate, said bearing member being removable from said cylinder, whereby the bearing member can be removed and replaced when necessary, said bearing member forming only a portion of the surface across the horizontal thickness of said cylinder, and said bearing member being attached in a position which is spaced radially away from the remainder of the horizontal surface across the end of the cylinder, whereby an annular gap or groove is provided in the horizontal surface over which sinkers or other knitting elements are mounted for operation, and

horizontally disposed passageways throughsaid cylinder wall and in communication with said annular groove, to (a) dissipate heat more elficiently away from positions of the sinkers or to (b) permit a cleaning of the machine by pneumatically forcing lint and other matter away from the sinkers and other knitting elements.

9. In a rib knitting machine of the type having a cylinder and dial construction, a vertically disposed set of needles or knitting instruments associated with the cylinder, and a horizontally disposed set of needles or knitting instruments associated with the dial, the improvement in said cylinder and dial construction comprising:

reservoir means associated with an outside surface of said cylinder for retaining small quantities of lubricant adjacent to the set of vertically disposed needles associated with the cylinder, said reservoir means comprising at least one annular channel formed into theoutside surface of said cylinder, and said annular channel having upper and lower beveled edges.

10. The improvement of claim 9', and including:

annular groove means formed into a surface of said cylinder.

11. The improvement of claim 9, and including:

a plurality of vertical passageways formed through said dial to provide for heat dissipation and easier cleaning and improved heat treatment of the dial.

12. The improvement of claim 9 and including:

a plurality of horizontal passageways formed completely through said cylinder to (a) provide for frictional heat dissipation from the cylinder, to (b) facilitate uniform heating and cooling of the cylinder during manufacture of the cylinder, or to (c) facilitate pneumatic cleaning of knitting elements associated with the cylinder.

13. The improvement of claim 12 wherein said at least one annular channel is formed in communication with said passageway end portions.

14. In a rib knitting machine of the type having a cylinder and dial construction, a vertically disposed set of needles or knitting instruments associated with the cylinder, and a horizontally disposed set of needles or knitting instruments associated with the dial, the improvement in said cylinder and dial construction comprising:

reservoir means associated with an outside surface of said cylinder for retaining small quantities of lubricant adjacent to the set of vertically disposed needles associated with the cylinder,

a plurality of horizontal passageways formed completely through said cylinder to (a) provide for frictional heat dissipation from the cylinder, to (b) facilitate uniform heating and cooling of the cylinder during manufacture of the cylinder, or to (c) facilitate pneumatic cleaning of knitting elements associated with the cylinder, and 1 annular grooves formed in an inner surface of said cylinder, said annular grooves being formed to in tercept at least a number of said passageways which are formed through the cylinder.

15. In a rib knitting machine of the type having a cylinder and dial construction, a vertically disposed set of knitting elements associated with the cylinder, and a horizontally disposed set of knitting elements associated with the dial, the improvement in said cylinder which comprises:

a removable annular end piece forming the upper end of the cylinder, for facilitating repair and maintenance of the machine, said removable end piece being mounted on a plurality of spacer elements so as to provide passageways through the upper end of the cylinder, and said removable end piece being adjustable relative to the upper end of the cylinder.

16. The improvement of claim 15 and further including an improvement in said dial wherein a removable annular element forms the outer edge of said dial.

17. In a rib knitting machine of the type having a cylinder and dial construction, a vertically disposed set of knitting elements associated with the cylinder, and a horizontally disposed set of knitting elements associated with the dial, the improvement in said dial which comprises:

a removable annular element mounted at an outer circumference of the dial to form the outer edge of said dial, said removable annular element being mounted in a spaced position relative to the remainder of the dial body so as to provide passageways between said removable annular element and the remainder of the dial body.

18. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly of the type which includes a horizontal upper surface on the cylinder for supporting sinkers or other knitting elements, the improvement comprising:

a removable and adjustable bearing member for forming an inner annular ledge upon which said sinkers, or other knitting elements, are supported, said bearing member supporting said sinkers at a level which is substantially higher than the remainder of the cylinder assembly, whereby a relatively large space is left beneath the sinkers or other knitting elements, and said bearing member being mounted .on spacer elements in a spaced position relative to the upper end of the cylinder so as to provide horizontal passageways between the cylinder and the bearing member.

19. In a circular knitting machine having a cylinder assembly of the type which includes a horizontal upper surface on the cylinder for supporting sinkers or other knitting elements, the improvement comprising:

a bearing member which is adjiustably mounted at an end of said cylinder assembly, said bearing member having an annular bearing surface which is positioned substantially radially inwardly from the vertical plane of operation of vertically disposed knitting elements associated with said cylinder assembly, and guide fin means carried by said bearing member at a position intermediate the radial position of said bearing surface and said vertical plane of operation of said vertically disposed knitting elements, said fins being defined by slots having horizontally disposed bases lying below the level of said bearing surface of said bearing member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 466,093 12/1891 Egly 66-107 1,150,547 8/1915 Scott 668X 1,467,691 9/1923 Scott 66108 2,069,672 2/1937 Lawson 66ll5X 2,108,772 2/ 193 8 Lawson et al. 66--115 2,120,796 6/1938 Coile 668X 2,154,384 4/1939 .Richter 66--115X 2,327,356 8/1943 Koppel 66--115 2,333,667 11/ 1943 Moss Q. 66-107 2,372,019 3/1945 Saftlas 66-8X 2,399,439 4/1946 Koppel 66-115 2,401,083 5/ 1946 Koppel 6'6115 2,707,872 5/1955 McDaniel 66- 8 2,723,543 11/1955 Chioding et al. 66-19 2,919,566 1/1960 Felker 66-468 2,945,368 7/1960 Fried 66-115 (Other references on following page) 15 16 UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,049 1/1959 Great Britain 6616'8 1 19 5 Mishcon 1,07 1,015,585 1/19656 Great Bntam 66107 1/1966 Roedel 6 -8 OTHER REFERENCES 12/1966 h't h d 66115 1 W 1 e ea German printed application No. 1,061,943, July 1959.

4/1968 McDonough 66 107X 5 7/1927 Page 66 1O4 19gilerrnan punted apphcatlon No. 1,113,786, September FOREIGN PATENTS 19 9 France 11 WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner 6/1941 Germany 661 15 10 5/1939 Great Britain 66-115 3/1949 Great Britain 66-115 6619, 107, 115, 168

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,5 5,233 Dated December 8, 1970 Inventor(s) Victor J- Lombardi It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 61, delete "of", insert -or-.

Column 6, line 8 delete "botom", insert -bottom--;

line 20, delete distort", insert --distortion-. Column line 68, delete the "in a rel-" and insert --46, it is possible to completely replace the bearing-. Column E lines 20 and 1, delete "benearth" and insert -b.eneath--. Column 10, line 7 L, delete "91", insert --91 Signed and sealed this 10th day of August 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

EDWARD M.FLETGHER JR.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

